i met this morning with senator kerry to give him an update on this trip. a number of the senators who were on the trip with me met with him, and i am determined that we make certain that the united states invests in the kind of forward leaning relationship in africa that will take the fight to al qaeda in africa and that will invest in stability in countries where, if we don't partner with them effectively, they may slip into the kind of state that mali's in now. just a few short years ago, mali was viewed as a stable, democratic ally of the united states, and it's come unwound fairly quickly. i chaired a hearing on december 5th to look at mali and to look at the situation there and try and raise its profile. i have gotten great cooperation from the state department and defense department but as you point out, this incident in algeria reminds us that it needs attention and investment at the highest levels of the american government. >> senator, thank you very much. we appreciate it. we will see if the president of the united states does indeed say anything